Munching on MAKO (WITH VIDEO)

When the Twilight backed into Destin Harbor with its monster payload two Saturdays ago, the waiting crowd's eyes bulged at the sight of the 11-foot mako its overwhelming girth, its many sharp teeth.

But a few seasoned eaters in the crowd savored the scene with watering mouths their own sharp teeth champing at the bit to chomp, chomp, chomp.

That's right, these veteran shark eaters assured. Mako makes good eating.

Just what does an 844-pound shark taste like? The Destin Log wanted to find out. So Twilight Captain Robert Hill brought five of those 844 pounds to us, and we promptly brought the defrosting steaks to AJ's Bar and Grill on Tuesday.

CITRUS IS THE KEY'

Kitchen manager Keith Waters was waiting for the fishy delivery. The 31-year-old said he has cooked all types of shark from blacktip to bull but none as big as this one.

"You have to marinate it a little longer, because it's a bigger grain and tougher," Waters said, explaining how he would compensate for the shark's size. He described mako as a little more steaky than most fish: firm in texture, but a white mild meat.

Saying "the citrus is the key," the monster shark had Waters thinking Hawaiian style. So he marinated the shark overnight in a mixture of vinaigrette, orange juice, fresh tarragon, cilantro, seasoned salt and Old Bay seasoning.

He put two pieces of shark on a small skewer wedged between an onion, completing the shark kabob. He then moved the kabobs to the grill, explaining that fresh fish off the grill allows you to get a good taste of the meat.

It was time for the shark taste test to begin.

EATING HISTORY'

Destin Log staffers brought the kabobs out to unsuspecting AJ's customers for an unbiased taste test. In fact, most of the patrons were out-of-town visitors who had no idea of the record catch that had made its landfall just a few feet from where they were sitting.

When offered some of the shark and told of its history, Sue Jenkins couldn't help but be impressed with the opportunity.

"I'm eating history," said the Polk County, Tenn., resident and first-time shark eater. "I'm eating the headlines."

By contrast her friend Bill Cherry, also from Polk County, had already tried shark, alligator, and possum.

"I've tried it all just to say I've had it," he said.

He would love to reel in a similar catch, though. Cherry hasn't missed a Destin rodeo since 1992. He wasn't present when the record-breaking mako tipped the scales, but he heard about it thanks to his hometown newspaper and photos from The Log.

"I bet it made a lot of kabobs," Cherry said, tasting his sample and remarking that it does not taste like chicken. "It had to have been an old shark to have grown that big."

The shark got its fi rst unequivocal two-fins-up with John Stanley, visiting from Oklahoma.

"Mmmm, it's good ... no, it's great," Stanley gushed, though his wife, Mary, thought she could taste the seasonings more than the fish.

Undeterred, Stanley savored another bite.

"I could make a daily entree out of that. In fact, I'll trade this for that," he said as a waitress delivered a hot pair of crabcakes from the kitchen.

Like Stanley, St. Louis, Mo., resident Steve Burch had never tried shark but was quick to take a bite, saying, "It's giving its life up, so it might as well be giving it up for something."

The visitor quipped, "It's mild. It didn't bite back."

Still, Burch was bothered by the concept of eating something so big.

"It's sort of like eating tiger or lion. It just doesn't feel like the thing to do," he said with a laugh.

Seven-year-old Meredith McDaniel also was bothered by eating something so big, but for a different reason. The thought of shark that just two weeks ago was lurking around in the Gulf of Mexico left her a bit wide-eyed.

"You want to go swimming?" her dad, Mark McDaniel, asked with a grin. "It's better than him eating you, right?"

The Tennessee fisherman has caught a few sharks and even cooked some.

"It has a sweeter taste than a normal grouper or something," he said. "It has a different texture to it."

It's the perfect seafood alternative for those looking for a less "fi shy" taste, said Mark's wife, Lisa.

"It's good, very mild," she said. "If it's too stinky, I can't handle it."

WHAT THE LOCALS THINK

One person who has eaten his fair share of fish is longtime Rodeo weighmaster Bruce Cheves. Cheves said this wasn't the first time he has eaten shark, but it was his first time snacking on mako.

"I am usually really leery when it comes to eating shark. A lot of times it depends on who's cooking it and how it's cooked, but yeah that was real good," he said.

The ladies manning the rodeo's merchandise trailer on a cold, blustery Wednesday afternoon were all too eager to get a taste of the history-making shark.

Ann White, rodeo volunteer and jack-of-alltrades, said her first time eating shark would be worth remembering.

"It's really tasty," she said. "It's not dried out; it's pretty moist. I give it two thumbs up."

Cathy Early Price, the rodeo trailer's other inhabitant, said the preparation masked any fishy flavor she anticipated.

"It's very good. You don't even know you're eating fish. It's very succulent," she said.

Overall, very few patrons passed up on the chance to taste history. But one that did was Bill Young, captain of the Silent Lady, who was relaxing in the bar area.

"I have a deal with sharks," Young said. "I don't spear em, catch em or eat em.

"And they don't eat me."

Tina Harbuck, William Hatfield, Patrick Donohue, and Keri Holt contributed to this story.